This invention concerns the production of metals and metalloids by means of dissolving cathodically their compounds in electrolytic cells comprising a series of heterogeneous bipolar electrodes.
The production of non-ferrous metals in general and of the so-called reactive metals in particular, is presently obtained by means of:
(a) discontinuous chemical processes; PA1 (b) electrowinning cells having insoluble electrodes; and PA1 (c) anodic dissolution of compounds and cathodic deposition of metals.
Discontinuous chemical processes are labor intensive and do not produce metals with purity as for the specifications presently required.
The use of traditional electrolytic cells is restricted to metal compounds which have a sufficient solubility in the electrolyte.
Anodic dissolution of metal compounds usually results in low yields which are unacceptable for industrial plant processes.
The operation of cells having a terminal cathode onto which the metal is deposited and a terminal insoluble anode is known to those skilled in the art.
The electrowinning practice of using a pair of electrodes with cathodes and insoluble anodes in order to lower the metal concentration in the electrolytes, is also known.